1 COR 2:16 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) This was stated in scripture:[ref]
⇔ ‘Who can understand Yahweh’s mind?
⇔ Who’s able to instruct him?’
§ But we do know the messiah’s mind!

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT “For who has known the mind of the Lord—who will instruct him?”
§  But we have the mind of Christ.

UST This fits with what the scripture says:
⇔ “No human knows what the Lord is thinking.
⇔ No human can teach him about anything.”
§  We, however, can think the same things that the Messiah is thinking.

BSB “For who has known [the] mind of [the] Lord, [so as] to instruct Him?”[fn] But we have [the] mind of Christ.

BLB "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

AICNT For who has known the mind of the Lord, who will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

OEB For who has so comprehended the mind of the Lord as to be able to instruct him? We, however, have the mind of Christ.

WEBBE “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.

WMBB “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Messiah’s mind.

NET For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.

LSV for who knew the mind of the LORD that he will instruct Him? And we have the mind of Christ.

FBV For “who understands the Lord's mind, and would think to instruct him?”[fn] But we do have Christ's mind!

2:16 Quoting Isaiah 40:13.

TCNT “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to advise him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

T4T As one of our prophets wrote:
⇔ No human [RHQ] has known what the Lord is thinking.
⇔ No human [RHQ] is able to instruct him.
⇔ But we believers are able to think about things [MTY] in the way that Christ thinks about them.

LEB “For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?”[fn] But we have the mind of Christ.

2:16 A quotation from Isa 40:13|link-href="None"

BBE For who has knowledge of the mind of the Lord, so as to be his teacher? But we have the mind of Christ.

Moff For who ever understood the thoughts of the Lord, so as to give him instruction? No one. Well, our thoughts are Christ's thoughts.

Wymth For who has penetrated the mind of the Lord, and will instruct Him? But *we* have the mind of Christ.
¶ 

ASV For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

DRA For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that we may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

YLT for who did know the mind of the Lord that he shall instruct Him? and we — we have the mind of Christ.

Drby For who has known the mind of [the] Lord, who shall instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

RV For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(For who hath/has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. )

SLT For who knew the mind of the Lord, who shall instruct him And we have the mind of Christ.

Wbstr For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

KJB-1769 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(For who hath/has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. )

KJB-1611 For who hath knowen the mind of the Lord that he [fn]may instruct him? But we haue the mind of Christ.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

2:16 Gr. shall.

Bshps For who hath knowen the mynde of the Lorde, that he myght instruct hym? But we haue the mynde of Christe.
(For who hath/has known the mind of the Lord, that he might instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.)

Gnva For who hath knowen the minde of the Lord, that hee might instruct him? But we haue the minde of Christ.
(For who hath/has known the mind of the Lord, that he might instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. )

Cvdl For who hath knowne ye mynde of the LORDE? Or who shal enfourme him? But we haue the mynde of Christ.
(For who hath/has known ye/you_all mind of the LORD? Or who shall inform him? But we have the mind of Christ.)

TNT For who knoweth the mynde of the Lorde other who shall informe him? But we vnderstonde the mynde of Christ.
(For who knoweth/knows the mind of the Lord other who shall informe him? But we understood the mind of Christ. )

Wycl As it is writun, And who knew the wit of the Lord, or who tauyte hym? And we han the wit of Crist.
(As it is written, And who knew the wit of the Lord, or who taught him? And we have the wit of Christ.)

Luth Denn wer hat des HErr’s Sinn erkannt, oder wer will ihn unterweisen? Wir aber haben Christi Sinn.
(Because who has the LORD’s Sinn recognised, or who will him/it instruct/trainn? We but have Christi Sinn.)

ClVg Quis enim cognovit sensum Domini, qui instruat eum? nos autem sensum Christi habemus.
(Who because he_knew sense Master, who/which instruat him? us however sense of_Christ we_have. )

UGNT τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν? ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.
(tis gar egnō noun Kuriou, hos sumbibasei auton? haʸmeis de noun Ⱪristou eⱪomen.)

SBL-GNT τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.
(tis gar egnō noun kuriou, hos sumbibasei auton; haʸmeis de noun Ⱪristou eⱪomen.)

RP-GNT Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; Ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.
(Tis gar egnō noun kuriou, hos sumbibasei auton; Haʸmeis de noun ⱪristou eⱪomen.)

TC-GNT Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ὃς [fn]συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; Ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.
(Tis gar egnō noun Kuriou, hos sumbibasei auton; Haʸmeis de noun Ⱪristou eⱪomen. )

2:16 συμβιβασει ¦ συνβιβασει WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:10–2:16: Believers should not divide up into competing factions. They should be united by true wisdom, the message of the cross.

In this section Paul wrote about a serious problem in the Corinthian church. The Corinthian believers were dividing up into competing groups. They were following whichever human leader they admired the most. Paul tried to solve this problem by reminding the Corinthians of the message of the cross. He wanted them to stop following human wisdom and to follow God’s wisdom.

Paragraph 2:14–16

In this paragraph Paul contrasted two types of people. They are the people who have the Spirit of God, and those people who do not have the Spirit of God. People who do not have the Spirit of God cannot understand or accept spiritual things (2:14). People who have God’s Spirit can understand spiritual things, because they are able to think like Christ Jesus (2:15–16).

2:16a-b

who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that no one has known the mind of the Lord and therefore no one can instruct the Lord. Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can teach him? (GW)
As a question with the implied answer. For example:
Who has known the Lord’s mind and can instruct him? No one!
As questions. For example:
Who knows the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him? (NLT)
As a statement. For example:
No one has known the mind of the Lord, and so no one can instruct him.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

2:16a

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,

Because, “Can anyone know what is in the Lord’s mind?
What I have said is true because it agrees with what was written long ago in God’s Book: “No one has ever known what the Lord’s thoughts/plans are

For: The Greek word that the BSB translates as For introduces a Scripture quotation from Isaiah 40:13. That verse supports what Paul had just said in 2:15b. The GNT introduces the quotation with the words:

As the Scripture says (GNT)

known the mind of the Lord: The phrase known the mind of the Lord means to understand what the Lord is thinking. Another way to translate this is:

known the thoughts of the Lord (CEV)

2:16b

so as to instruct Him?”

Can anyone teach/advise the Lord?”
And so no one can tell/teach him what his thoughts should be about something.”

so as to instruct Him?: The BSB translates this part of the OT quotation in a way that shows that it is connected to 2:16a as a result clause. If someone does not know God’s thoughts, then he cannot give God any advice. Some other ways to translate this are:

so that he can teach him? (GW)

that he may instruct him? (NIV)

However, in some languages it may be more natural to translate this as a separate question. Some versions leave the fact that it is a result clause implied. For example:

Who is able to give him advice? (GNT)

Who has been able to teach him? (NCV)

instruct Him: The phrase instruct Him refers to giving advice to or counseling the Lord. Some other ways to translate this are:

been his adviser (NJB)

be his counsellor (REB)

given him advice (CEV)

2:16c

But we have the mind of Christ.

But we^(incl) understand what is in Christ’s mind.
But we^(incl) believers, do think the same way that Christ does.
But as for us^(incl), we^(incl) think about things in the same way that Christ does.

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But here introduces Paul’s own answer to the question in 2:16a-b. It is not the answer implied by the original author in the original context in Isaiah.

we have the mind of Christ: The emphasis in this statement is on the word we. Paul and other believers, in contrast to those without the Spirit, do have the mind of Christ. The pronoun we here refers to all believers, or at least to all mature believers.

All of God’s people are potentially able to understand spiritual things in a way similar to the way Christ knows them. Believers are able to understand because the Spirit is in them. People who are controlled by the Holy Spirit understand God’s plans and God’s ways in the same way that Christ does. Some other ways to translate this are:

we who are spiritual have the very thoughts of Christ (JBP)

We are those who have the mind of Christ. (NJB)

the mind of Christ: In 2:16a-b Paul quoted from Isaiah 40:13, where it says “the mind of the Lord.” In 2:16c Paul said the mind of Christ, since he thought of Jesus Christ as the Lord (Yahweh) of the OT. He meant that the same Holy Spirit who guides the thoughts of Christ also guides the thoughts of believers. Therefore, believers can understand spiritual truths the same way that Christ does. They can also understand God’s wise plans.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Γάρ Ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου ὅς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν ἡμεῖς Δέ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν)

Here, For introduces proof from Scripture to support what Paul has said about the “natural person” and the “spiritual” person in [2:14–15](../02/14.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this connection with a word or phrase that indicates that Paul is introducing proof. Alternate translation: [you could tell that these things are true, because] or [Indeed,]

Note 2 topic: writing-quotations

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Γάρ Ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου ὅς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν ἡμεῖς Δέ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν)

Here, For is the only word that Paul uses to introduce a quotation from the Old Testament, in this case, from the book written by Isaiah the prophet (See: [Isaiah 40:13](../isa/40/13.md)). If your language would not introduce a quotation in this way, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that Paul is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: [For, as it can be read in the Old Testament,] or [For, according to Isaiah the prophet,]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίς & ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν?

who & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Γάρ Ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου ὅς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν ἡμεῖς Δέ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν)

Here, the passage that Paul quotes from the book of Isaiah uses a question to indicate that no human has known the mind of the Lord, and no human will instruct him. The quoted question is not asking for information. Instead, it assumes that the answer is “no one,” and the author used a question to make a negative claim that is stronger than a simple statement. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the question with a strong negative statement. Alternate translation: [no one has known the mind of the Lord—no one will instruct him.]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

νοῦν Κυρίου

˓the˒_mind ˱of˲_˓the˒_Lord

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe a mind that the Lord has or uses. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind that the Lord is one who is thinking with the mindby using a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: [the thoughts that the Lord thinks]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν

˓the˒_mind ˓the˒_mind ˱of˲_Christ ˓are˒_having

Here Paul speaks as if we are people who possess the mind of Christ. Paul means that we are able to understand what Christ thinks and share the same ways of thinking with him. He does not mean that we have taken Christ’s mind from him or that we no longer have our own mind. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express “having someone else’s mind” with a comparable metaphor or with a verb such as “share.” Alternate translation: [think the same thoughts as Christ does] or [share in the mind of Christ]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

νοῦν Χριστοῦ

˓the˒_mind ˓the˒_mind ˱of˲_Christ

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe a mind that Christ has or uses. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind that Christ is the one who is thinking with the mindby using a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: [the thoughts that Christ thinks]